The Bosnian international shot-stopper has been one of the finest keepers in the Premier League for some time now, showing himself to be capable of playing for most big clubs around Europe after catching the eye at the Britannia Stadium over the years.

United, City and Real have all been keeping tabs on Begovic’s performances, according to claims made by the Daily Mail, though it remains to be seen if any of these clubs particularly need a new signing in that position at the moment.

Regardless, Hughes insists he wants his side to keep hold of their best players as they seek to continue to establish themselves as a safe top-ten team in the next few years, with player sales not a part of that.

“We want to be a team that’s consistently in the top ten,” the Welshman said.

“To be able to do that you need key players in key areas of the field and obviously goalkeeper is a key position in any good team and Asmir has been exceptional for us for a long time now.”